


I hope I am good enough

by smaragdbird



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Feels, Gen, Nikolaos is bad at communicating that he loves all his children, Stentor has self-worth issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22408882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: When Nikolaos calls for Stentor after Alexios and Kassandra have returned from Sparta, he knows what his father will tell him.With his trueborn children returned, Nikolaos no longer has any need for him.Stentor knows this.
Relationships: Nikolaos & Stentor (Assassin's Creed)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 5





	I hope I am good enough

**Author's Note:**

  * For [greygerbil](https://archiveofourown.org/users/greygerbil/gifts).



Stentor knew what to expect when Nikolaos had asked him to join him at the estate he held outside of Sparta. He had made his apologies to his syssitia, it was rare he missed a meal with them when he was home, and had made his way across fields and orchards to a house he had rarely seen.

Nikolaos had usually stayed in Sparta, as one of her most decorated polemarches and later strategoi. Now that house was back in his wife’s hands and with her Kassandra and Alexios or Deimos as he still preferred to be called.

With the end of the war and Nikolaos reaching his 60th year, he would soon join the ranks of the ephors and advise the Kings. That his father would not die on the battlefield was both a blessing and a curse. There would be no gravestone for him despite the impressive victories he had won for Sparta.

Stentor knew what to expect, knew what his father wanted to tell him. With his trueborn children back and their citizenship returned, there was no place for Stentor in his household anymore. He would need to marry to keep his place in the syssitia, the one duty he hadn’t been able to bring himself to do even for Sparta. His failure, his shame.

Kassandra may have been a mercenary but she was an incredible fighter and had won the Olympic Games for Sparta on top of that. And Deimos was a warrior without compare in bloodlust and battle prowess. They were worthy heirs to Nikolaos as much as Stentor hated to admit it. 

As Stentor had expected neither Myrrine nor Kassandra or Deimos were at the estate. It felt strange to see his father without armour as it made him seem more vulnerable.

“I’ve spoken to the Kings”, Nikolaos said after they had eaten mostly in silence. His father had never been a man of many words and neither was Stentor as was befitting a Spartan. “The whole situation is very confusing but they trust my judgement.”

“As they are right to do.”

“I’ve had my lapses, as you well know”, Nikolaos said, reminding Stentor of the awful time when he had believed him to be dead. A time filled with his own lapses in judgement that he did not like to remember.

“By rights all of this should go to Alexios”, Nikolaos continued. “With some of it set aside for Kassandra as a dowry. But Alexios’ situation is difficult, he is a citizen in name but his training and temperament make him unsuitable for Sparta’s army. The Kings agreed to bend the rules for him, especially Archidamos feels partially responsible for the whole situation. He will keep his citizenship and can live in Sparta if he wishes.”

Stentor didn’t know how to feel about that. The rules were meant to be the same for everyone but by now he knew the entire story of manipulations and falsehoods that had led to this. If his father thought this was the right way to deal with it then Stentor would agree with him.

“Myrrine and I agreed to leave the house in Sparta proper to them. But everything else will go to you and your son after you.

Stentor’s mouth fell open. This was not what he had expected. Not at all. He had been prepared to leave this house as an orphan once more, not as Nikolaos’ heir. Desperately he tried to keep it together, but the wave of feelings inside of him was too much. It pulled him under, left him breathless and struggling.

As if he could feel his turmoil, Nikolaos pulled him in his arms like he had done only a handful of times in Stentor’s life. There was a strength in his father that Stentor doubted he would ever find in himself.

“I am proud of you, son.”


End file.
